Caster



March 7, 1933. R UHL 1,900,572

GASTER Filed July 8. 1931 Y gmc/nto@ Patented Mar. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEMENT R. UHL, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, .ASSIGNOR TO THE TOLEDO METAL FURNITURE COMPANY, F TOLEDO, OHIO, A. CORPORATIONY OF OHIO oAsTER Application led July 8, 1231. lSerial No.`l549,458.

This invention relates to swivel wheels or casters of the type commonly used on furniture, small trucks and the like. and has for its object the provision of simple, efficient and improved means for releasably attaching the wheel and its bearing-pin to the fork member of a caster to facilitate separation for the purpose of repair or replacement of the wheel or its pin, and also to facilitate cleaning and freeing of the pin of accumulated matter, such for instance, as threads, which interfere with the free running of the wheel.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while in its broader aspect it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, one embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawing,rin which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a caster embodying the invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sections thereof on the lines 2 2 and 3 3, respectively, in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with a different form of releasable pin-holding means, and Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the fork member of the caster, 2 the wheel, and 3 the pivot or bearing-pin, which is mounted at its ends in the leg portions of the fork and held thereby against turning and also forms a bearing intermediate the fork legs on which the wheel turns, as is customary in the art.

The fork member is provided in the lower end of each leg with a vertical or upwardly extending notch 4 for receiving either end of the pin 3, and is preferably of a length considerably greater than the diameter of the leg engaging end portions of the pin and of a width less than the diameter of the pin.

The pin is provided in its opposite end portions with opposed side notches 5 which receive the respective side walls of the fork notches 4 and cooperate therewith to prevent both rotary and axial movements of the pin relative to the fork. The edges of the mouth portions of the notches 4 are preferably rounded or chamfered to facilitate entry of the pin ends therein.

The pin 3 is longer than the outside width ofthe fork-1 to cause its ends to project slightly from the fork sides when centered therein. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 a single spring finger 6 is secured' tothe outer side of each leg of thefork 1, in the present instance, above the `pin`3, andhas its free end portion extending down past oneV side of the respective projecting end portion of the pin 3 and bearing laterally thereagainst to yieldingly retain the pin seated in the upper end of the fork notch 4. Tov facilitate such engaging action the spring finger 6 is provided near its free end" with a bend or hump por` tion 7 which engages under the lower sidel edge portion of the pin.. The extreme end of the finger is extended laterally on an in- Cline away fromthe adjacent side of the notch 4, as shown at 8, to facilitate forcing the pin inward beyond the hump 7 when assembling the parts. The finger 6 at a point above the'pin 3 is attached to the fork side .by a'lo'op member 9.and above such member is laterally angledf'with its upper free end offset and inserted through an opening. '10 75 in the fork side,`thus providing a simple means for attaching the spring finger to the fork and preventing relative turningthereof. Y Y

In Figs. .4 and 5 the spring-retaining means' for thelpin 3 is of U-form with its closedend disposed upwardly and secured to th-e fork side by a clip 11, and with its legs forming spring fingers 12, which have releasable holding engagement with opposite sides ofl the pin 3vin the same manner that the spring finger 6V engages the pin.v The inwardly directed humps 13 on the spring fingers 12 engage under the respective side edge portions of the ypin 3 and serve to yieldingly hold the pin seated in the fork. These humps are tapered in opposite directions, so as to'facilitate' assembling of the pin within and removal of the same from the fork notches 4.

It is apparent that a wheel and its pin may be easily and quickly placed in assembled position with respect to the fork by inserting the roller in the fork with the pin ends seating in the mouth port1ons of the 100 notches 4, and that by then exerting suliicient inward pressure against the wheel the pin is forced past th-e humps or inwardly projecting portions of the spring fingers and into the upper bearing ends of the notches 4. It is also apparent that the roller and its pins may be easily and quickly removed from the fork for the purpose of cleaning, repair or replacement, by merely exerting a suliicient downward pull on the wheel relative to the fork to spring the ends of the pin past the hump portions of the spring ingers.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications andchanges without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. In a caster, a fork having upwardly extending bearing notches in the lower ends of its legs, a bearing pin mounted at its ends in said notches and removableI therefrom lengthwise of the notches and transversely of the pin axis, said pin projecting at its ends beyond the outer sides of the forli legs, a wheel rotatably mounted on the pin within the fork, and a spring linger ixed at one end to the outer side of each leg and having its free end projecting downwardly at a side of the respective projecting end of the pin and bearing laterally thereagainsl', each ol said lingers having a hump near its free end engaging under the respective side of the pin to yieldingly resist a removal of the pin. from or insertion of the same in bearing position in the fork notches.

2. In a caster, a fork having upwardly extending bearing notches in the lower ends of its legs, a bearing pin mounted at its endsy in said notches and removable therefrom.

lengthwise of the notches and transversely' of the pin axis, said pin projecting at its ends beyond the outer sides of the forli legs, a

wheel rotatably moimted on the pin within: the fork, and a spring linger attached to each.v

leg of the fork and having a free end portion bearing laterally against the pin to yieldingly retain it in the fork notch, each of said lingers having its inner end attached to the leg and then angl-ed and inserted through the leg to prevent turning of the linger relative to the leg.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

CLEMENT R. UI'IL. 

